usually, i dont make it to a mass on Sunday. the saturday night shifts as a paramedic get me off at between 4-8am. they start at 4pm saturday. i go most of the time to a wednesday night service.
i remember this one sunday where i was scheduled to be on standby with the SWAT teams as a tactical medic for quarterly training exercises. roll call was at 10am and the early mass starts at 8:30am. and theres no way i could have gone to mass, and then made roll call across the county without wearing my BDU’s to church. if you are 1 second late or not dressed, they dismiss you for the day, you lose your salary for the day and all hazard pay. mind you, this was while i was still in graduate school and needed every single dollor i could get. and i needed every bit of God’s grace in my personal life too.
i sat in the far, far back, feeling really self conscious about wearing the dark blue combat pants and boots, and t-shirt with “Tactical Medic” written in big white letters across the back. i just felt uneasy the whole entire time. i didnt even get up to get communion.
i did get ALOT of glaring looks though. but on the way out the priest caught me, and said “those are sooo last season…”
i think if God knows a person cant get out of bed, hes not gonna be too upset if they dont go. i also hope that hes not too picky if a medic wears his duty gear before a shift.
someitmes ill stop in before a shift just to pray “dont let me get hit without my vest on”. i wont ask not to be shot, just so long as it hits my vest. im trying not to be picky either.
BTW, is it possible to have an item such as a bulletproof vest blessed by a priest so it doesnt fail? ive always wondered that, but never had the guts to actually ask a priest.
I swear- I’m not a stalker…)